Origins Game Fair is almost here and it is the first big gaming convention of the season. Origins always has some new releases that are hot and some surprise titles that could be something to look out for. These are the games that peaked my curiosity and that I think you may enjoy. Origins is next week and I am excited to be there soon. Hopefully I get to meet some of you and also look forward to hearing what you are excited about.

Arena For the Gods!Published by: Iello Games

Arena for the Gods! looks like one of those games that is quick fun, when you want a game that is just big monsters fighting in chaos. You bid your life points for equipment and then fight it out. Sounds simple and a smashing good time.

I am a big fan of the Ascension deck-building series and this expansion is about teaming up with another player. I am curious on how teaming with another player works and what you can all do together. This could breathe a lot of new life into this series.

Attack on Titan: The Last StandPublished by: Cryptozoic

Based on the hit Anime Attack on Titan, is a game designed by Antonie Bauza and Ludovic Maublanc. That alone will get most peoples attention. The game sports a vertical board with one player as the titan and the others are trying to stop him. From the description, Last Stand sounds to have some nice bluffing elements and interesting player interaction. I hope to get my hands on this one someday.

BarenparkPublished by: Mayfair Games and Lookout Games

Each player has a park board and you are trying to make the best bear zoo. From the description and looking at a few images, it reminds me of Patchwork and Cottage Garden. Both of which are highly rated and I have enjoyed. I like the idea of bear zoo and I am very curious how this plays compared to the other tile laying games.

Biotix Published by: Smirk and Dagger Games

Biotix has players competing to get sets of bacteria/microbes in their dish to have the most victory points at the end. The crazy part is when you have too many of one type and it causes a chain reaction that can affect other players. BTW you can also put the bacteria in other player's dishes and cause chaos. This is a very aggressive take that game that some will love and others will hate. If you like take that games, this is one to check out.

Century: Spice RoadPublished by: Plan B Games

Century Spice Road is a beautiful looking game that has players venturing down the Spice Road and delivering spices to complete mission cards. This is the first in a series of Century games and I am curious to see if this a great lead off game for the series.

I love DC Comics and have been a fan of the deck building series since it first started. I have the whole collection and my box is full. Cryptozoic has listened to their gamers and have published a big box to store everything. That is not all though, included is a series of cards that will change the set up each time for different scenarios. This could breathe a lot of life into the series for me and make this jump up to number 1 for deck-builders. I am unsure if they will have copies to sell, but if they do I will be first in line.

ElementPublished by: Rather Dashing Games

Element is a abstract strategy game using the four elements on a grid with the goal of surrounding your opponent and eliminating them from the game. Boardgame Corner really enjoys this game and I respect his opinion, so that also helped my interest in wanting to play Element. If you like games like Onitama and Tsuro, Element may be the right game for you.

EthnosPublished by: CMON

Ethnos has been the surprise hit of 2017 so far for me. This area control game with a unique mechanic of only one card gets to use it's special power and any cards not used become available to all the players. Lots of area control strategy in a game that is one of CMON's least flashy games. This is a game for people who love great game mechanics. Highly recommend picking this one up or at least demoing it.

FlatlinePublished by: Renegade Game Studio

Last year, Fuse was a huge hit for being a 10 minute co-op game of pure dice chaos. My game group still love to play it and now Flatline is being released. This is a new take on Fuse and I am curious as to how different it is and if it provides the same fun or more.

Legendary X-MenPublished by: Upper Deck Entertainment

This is the Legendary I have been probably waiting for most. My favorite marvel team is X-Men and this is a big box of 15 new characters. There are new masterminds and EPIC masterminds. Because we needed that extra challenge... This will be great to use to play out some of my favorite X-Men storylines.

LemuriaPublished by: TMG

Every Origins, TMG seems to have the hot Euro game that everyone rushes for on day one. That will probably be the Orleans expansion this year, but while purchasing that, you may want to check out Lemuria. This is a worker placement game that includes resource management and area control. You will be using workers to get resources and those resources will build buildings. The game will span a year in the world of Lemuria. I will be excited to see what sets this apart from other worker placement games.

LisboaPublished by: Eagle Gryphon Games

Lisboa is about players reconstructing the city of Lisboa after a massive earthquake ruined the city. Designed by Vital Lacerda, who has designed Vinhos (review coming soon) and The Gallerist. So you know you should expect a deep, heavy euro game. Lisboa is a card driven game that has a deep economic engine in the core of the game. I am excited to hopefully try this one out.

Spoils of WarPublished by: Arcane Wonders

Spoils of War is about Vikings splitting their loot by betting and bluffing your way to get the most treasure. This is one of those fun games to play with friends while drinking and talking. Jordan will love it for sure.

Trickster: Champions of Time is a trick taking card game. You will be causing all types of multidimensional mayhem and the art by Beth Sobel looks fantastic. I am always up for a good trick taking game and time travel.